


Why do you do that?

by Musetotheworld



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Cat has strong feelings about the 'color wheel', Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 23:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11588550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musetotheworld/pseuds/Musetotheworld
Summary: Moving in with Cat and going public was bound to have an effect on Kara's life. She just hadn't known all that entailed...





	Why do you do that?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [catherinegrant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/catherinegrant/gifts).



> So it's super late but hopefully gets a smile anyway. Happy birthday Mayka, you fucker.
> 
> And many thanks to Kim (mitski) and Miko (kuromikoneko) for helping me out with this one. I don't think I could have pulled it off without you two.

Kara had fully expected that her wardrobe would undergo some changes when she moved in with Cat. Going public meant that she'd be expected to attend any of the dinners and parties Cat decided were worth her time, and as Cat's date she'd need to dress accordingly. She’d known that before it was ever brought up, though they'd still had a long talk about it before Cat was satisfied Kara was comfortable with the pressure and spotlight. 

She'd also known that her everyday clothing would likely end up with an upgrade as well, strongly suspecting Cat wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to buy her actual 'adult' clothing. And she hadn't minded that either. As much as she loved her cardigans and the way they always vaguely reminded her of the Kryptonian styles she still missed so much, she didn't object to wearing the nicer things Cat snuck in as some sort of compromise for allowing Kara's 'cheap fabrics' space in her closet. They gave her a boost of confidence on the days she needed them, as if they were a super suit designed for Kara Danvers.

But she'd honestly thought her  _ actual _ super suit was safe. Even knowing Cat's general disdain hadn't prepared her for the reaction she got every time she returned from a patrol.

It wasn't until a month after moving in that Kara had first spotted Cat's reactions. It was never much, little more than a half glare and the particular shudder of Cat's when faced with something mildly distasteful. But for someone like Kara who is completely in tune with even the slightest of Cat’s reactions, that small hint is all she needs.

After the first time Kara starts categorizing each of the little reactions she sees, tracking the various responses every time she returns from an evening flying around the city. When she comes back from an alien threat Cat is always too busy worrying about her safety to let something like petty judgement surface, but Kara can see it on the other nights, ones where the only enemies she’s faced are average humans.

It’s not until six months into living with Cat that Kara finds the courage to confront her. They’ve been together long enough, in both their personal and private lives, that Kara feels comfortable standing up for herself in a disagreement. But she still sometimes feels reluctant to bring up what she considers to be trivial complaints. It’s easier to just let things be than cause an issue.

But if Cat is unhappy, then Kara can’t stay quiet. And yes, it might not be actual unhappiness. It might just be a habitual judgement of fashion that comers to Cat as naturally as breathing. But no matter what it is, Kara’s instinctive reaction to Cat’s discomfort is to make it better.

“Why do you do that?” Kara asks one night after returning from a quick patrol. 

She’d chosen her timing carefully, deciding on an evening she’d finished early. There hadn’t been an alien attack of any sort in over a week. She hasn’t come anywhere close to death in  _ months _ . She can’t guarantee everything about this conversation will go well, but she’s done everything she can to make sure Cat is in the best mood possible.

“Do what?”

Cat sounds genuinely confused, and Kara realizes suddenly that Cat might not be aware of how she reacts. So much for her carefully crafted plan of attack…

“You, um, you glare at me when I get back,” Kara says, not able to find a better start after the conversation had already shifted from the one in her head. She hadn’t expected that she’d actually have to explain the situation “Well, at my suit,” she adds quickly when Cat looks like she’s about to protest.

“Ah, that,” Cat says with a slight grimace, gaze flicking down to take in the outfit in question. “I suppose that after seeing you dressed like an actual adult, the disparity annoys me.”

“You really don’t like it?” Kara asks, barely managing to keep the hurt out of her voice.

Cat sees it anyway, Cat always sees her, and before Kara can react she’s already stepping closer. One hand reaches out to tangle in Kara’s cape at her hip, the other rising to gently sweep an errant lock of hair out of Kara’s face and behind her ear. The look on her face is so full of care that Kara can practically feel the warmth wrap around her.

“It has its positives,” Cat says as she tugs a little on the cape, the hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Kara flushes as she thinks back to the same times Cat is obviously thinking of, and how sure she’d been the next day that everyone who looked at her in the suit knew exactly what she’d been up to the night before. It had seemed so forbidden somehow, but she hadn’t really minded. Not when it brought out a side of Cat that Kara got to see far too rarely.

“But you still glare,” she says once she manages to swallow, knowing they need to have this conversation before the thought of more pleasant activities divert their attention.

“You’re wearing all three primary colors in one outfit, I’m  _ allowed  _ to glare.” She doesn’t sound apologetic in the slightest, but it’s also such a relatively restrained comment that Kara mostly manages to avoid taking offense. “Kara, darling. You’re a beautiful woman. You have the looks and the presence to stand out in any crowd. So yes, when I see you in an outfit that looks like it was designed for a small child still learning the basics of color theory in first grade art class, I can’t help wishing I could put you in an outfit that properly showcases who you are.”

Kara has to blink at that, not quite sure how to respond for a few long seconds. She’d known that Cat wouldn’t hold back when asked directly, but she hadn’t expected her to be quite that blunt, or phrase it in quite that way. Now she knows how Barry must have felt when Cat criticized his alias.

“Winn helped design it for me,” Kara says, trying to defend her choice to wear it. She does like it, but her fashion sense has long been a point of gentle teasing from most of the people in her life.

“Winn is a programmer, not a fashion guru,” Cat says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m more surprised he  _ managed  _ to fit three colors in given how often he works in binary.”

“Oh, like you could do better,” Kara says without thinking, regretting it even before Cat has a chance to react.

When she sees the look of delight on Cat’s face she knows she’d made a mistake. Cat hadn’t looked half this excited when Lois had stood for an award only for the presenter to call the wrong name. This is a look that does not bode well for her, and Kara is a little afraid to find out just how much this is going to cost her.

“I’ll take that bet,” Cat says, smirk deepening at the blindsided look Kara knows is clear on her face. “But first, I think the best way to improve this outfit is to get you out of it.”

***

Cat seems to forget about the challenge in the days after their conversation, but Kara knows better than that. When her girlfriend sets her mind to something, she’s going to accomplish it one way or another. Once she’d decided to take on the challenge she would see it through to the end. The only question was when that would be.

Kara wasn’t sure exactly how long it would take for Cat to not only design but create an entirely new suit that could stand up to the rigorous demands of a superhero’s duties. A design might be easy enough, though Cat was a notorious perfectionist when it came to the smallest details, but actually creating it might take a bit more work. You couldn’t buy the specially designed material of her current suit anywhere, and lesser fabrics like the kinds Winn had used on her first suits weren’t sturdy enough to handle every situation Kara managed to find herself in. They did well enough so long as she was at full strength and her powers kept the worst of the blows at bay, but once she started to weaken and let things through things changed.

There was no way that Cat would reveal the suit until it was completely ready, which meant waiting until a replacement for the DEO developed material could be found. And since Kara still didn’t know the full extent of Cat’s reach that meant she couldn’t even begin to guess how long it might take. Which meant she had no idea when Cat would show up with a new suit for her to try out.

Hell, Cat might even wait for a slow news cycle before she gave it to Kara. It would make complete sense, and allow CatCo to capitalize on the still close relationship between Supergirl and the media company. A relationship that Kara didn’t mind anymore, though there were still a few government officials who were less than happy about it. They only grudgingly accepted Kara’s presence, but pairing her abilities with the power and reach of someone like Cat gave them frequent nightmares. Not that either woman particularly cared what they thought.

In the end, Kara isn’t sure what went into Cat’s ultimate decision on when to give her the new suit. Just as in most things, Cat kept her own counsel on when and how she was going to make her decisions. Kara had learned over the years as her assistant that it was useless to second guess things, and that still rang true as Cat’s lover. Cat did what Cat wanted, and somehow whatever she decided always seemed to be the best option available in the end.

That same principle held true for the design she’d come up with.

The first time Kara saw it she didn’t know what to say for long seconds. It was such a large change from the uniform she’d come to know and love that she couldn’t take it all in at once. She had to focus on each component before she could ever manage to put the pieces together into a complete whole.

The single biggest change was the absence of the skirt. Instead there was a bodysuit similar to Kal-El’s in basic cut. But while there was obviously a connection between this new suit and the ‘traditional’ suits worn by the Super cousins, this new creation was something new, something unique.

The main body of the suit was a bright, pure white in a material so soft that Kara would have doubted the durability if she hadn’t been able to see the strength of the weave when she used her powers to look at it carefully. It was masterfully made, and she could tell just from holding it that the fabric would feel amazing against her skin. She loved her old suit and wasn’t vulnerable to things like chafing from uncomfortable fabrics, but it still managed to annoy her on a few occasions as the fabric rubbed her the wrong way. Somehow, she didn’t think she’d have a problem with this one.

There was a band of red a little darker than her current skirt and cape that covered the torso from the shoulders to the thin silver belt that kept the bodysuit from seeming bland and flat. It was nearly the same as the belt on her old suit, but somehow the silver complemented the white and red better than the gold had ever done for the red and blue.

The crest was detailed in a silver a few shades quieter than the brightness of the belt, but the way it stood out from the red managed to catch the eye without being too flashy. It was still obvious that Kara was a member of the House of El, but the style seemed more like the almost understated styles of Krypton than the more ostentatious display of the original super suit designs.

The red band from the torso continued onto the sleeves, with bands of white stretching along the seams and occasionally criss crossing the fabric in a way that Kara thought would probably serve to highlight the way her muscles flexed as she fought. Kara knew there were likely several reasons for that choice, but she couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of Cat ogling her biceps every time she wore this new suit. And she knew her lover would.

The boots were the same darker red as the detailing on the bodysuit, maybe a shade or two darker. But otherwise they looked nearly the same as Kara’s current pair, though perhaps a bit sturdier. She did tend to put a lot of wear on her boots between landing, kicking, and sliding around during fights. A little more durability was probably a good thing.

There was no cape with the outfit, and for a second Kara worried Cat had decided to be rid of it. She was a lot better at flying these days, and could probably learn to compensate for the difference in aerodynamics and air resistance without a cape, but she’d gotten used to it.

“Oh, would you relax,” Cat said from next to her, clearly seeing the slight frown on Kara’s face and understanding immediately. “I didn’t forget the cape, I just wanted you to see the bodysuit before anything was covered.”

“Covered?” Kara asks, more than a little puzzled by that one. Was there something on the back of the suit she was supposed to be looking at?

But when Cat moved forward to bring out the last piece of the puzzle, it all clicked. Somehow Cat had managed to come up with a cape that flowed down her back in roughly the same way, but that was cut a little fuller so it could be pulled forward to cover her arms in a cloak style that seemed daring and a little dangerous. And the way a flap of it fastened across her chest from one shoulder to the next reminded Kara strongly of her mother’s favorite dress and the way it wrapped around her shoulders to display the crest of their house.

Somehow the cape tied together the new styles that clearly showed Cat’s influence with a Kryptonian touch that Kara never thought she’d wear again. It was too risky to wear something like that as Kara Danvers, and she always had to be Supergirl in her suit. There had never been a way for her to be a Kara Zor-El that was more than just a warrior and champion of Earth. To have that chance now meant more than Kara would have imagined before actually experiencing it. 

“Thank you, Cat,” is all she manages to say through the tears that are threatening to fall, but she can tell Cat understands. 

“I take it you like it then?” Cat says with a smirk, though her hands are soft on Kara’s cheeks as she reaches up to wipe away the tracks of wetness as Kara loses the fight against her emotions.

“It’s amazing,” Kara says, the emotion in her voice the only proof needed of her sincerity. “Winn is going to be so jealous of what you came up with.”

“I’m sure it’s a familiar sensation,” Cat teases, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Kara’s lips. “Now why don’t you try it on and go find a day to save? Somewhere near a CatCo news van, preferably.”

Kara laughs at the predictability of the request, but she nods without complaint. She really can’t blame Cat for wanting to capitalize on the splash the new outfit will create, not after the hard work that had obviously gone into it.

Just then a few sirens sound on the street below, and Kara laughs again at the timing. “I think that’s my cue,” she says before speeding into the new suit. It’s every bit as comfortable as she’d expected it to be.

“Go get ‘em, Supergirl,” Cat says, pulling her in for one last kiss before Kara launches herself from the balcony and into the sky.


End file.
